Doing Masculinity in School-age Child-care: An Ethnographic Study

Abstract

This article is based on data from a two-year ethnographic study on children in school-age child-care in Sweden. It describes a boy’s way from positioning himself as a “boy who does not fight” to a “boy who fights”. In Sweden, independence is viewed as paramount. Fostering children to independence can be seen from different perspectives, and the teachers in this particular setting hand over the power to the children. The social climate in the setting was quite tough, and the children – especially the boys – formed a social hierarchy by using their fists. The material was studied with help from analytical tools dealing with gender, position and power.